US Secretary of the Interior Sandy Jewell. Climate and Energy Comments at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco

Secretary of the Interior Sandy Jewell appeared at the San Francisco Commonwealth Club where she was interviewed by Greg Dalton on a wide range of topics. This video contains excerpts related to her comments on climate change and energy policy. While Secretary Jewell stressed the importance and reality of climate change, she defended the option to sell coal mining rights on public lands, saying that energy change isn’t going to happen overnight.

“He [Obama] has used the megaphone very loudly to say, we’re no longer debating climate change, it is here – we must do something about it” ~ Sandy Jewell

10:00 Greg Dalton: “Can the administration though be a real serious climate leader, and also promote more coal extraction, more oil drilling? At some point isn’t there an either or situation, can it have it both ways – more energy, more hydrocarbons, and say we’re serious about climate?”

Interior Secretary Sandy Jewell: “Well, the short answer is you can’t go immediately from one source of energy to another source of energy overnight. We have grown this country with the support of carbon pollution, whether it was coal or oil and gas that has been in large measure what has driven the industry in this country and you can’t turn it off in a heartbeat. The president through the EPA has instituted CAFE standards for cars that will make an enormous difference in terms of using using policy to reduce carbon pollution, it’s a very very important step forward. So it’s policies that drive behaviors by the automobile industry that increase the fuel economy of cars and therefore reduce the amount that we use.”

“You’re voices are important as citizens of this great democracy, and when you bring your voices to my new home of Washington D.C., they do make a difference.” ~ Sandy Jewell